German Gp 2009 - Nürburgring

[hulmerist]

ok, so, i've done this



as you can see i've done fuel corrected times, how am i supposed to work out webbers fuel corrected time? i used him as a benchmark

[ESPImperium]

The only reason that i can think that Brawn are doing this is because they want to get away well off the start, and if its wet early and goes to a drying track, thay can switch to dry tyres earlier than any one else, Rubens did it today in Q2, so make the diffrence pay then.

The outsider id say is Sutil, heavy on fuel and tallented in the wet with a good car underneath him this weekend.

[hulmerist]

yeah, fuel loads aren't exactly a risk since nobody knows what the weather is going to be like, it's forecasted to be changeable throughout the race i think

interesting that hamilton appears to be on pace with the brawns quite easily, down to tyre heat issues or a general improvement?

[ESPImperium]

Just looked at the wether forcasts, and they suggest that its going to be a damp start on inters, then by the first stop, the track will be dry enough for super softs to be used for the rest of the race, and this is where the race could be won or lost. Thats what i think the Brawns are gambeling on. Hence they light weight.

[jonathan189]

We already know that the Brawns disappoint in cold/wet conditions, so given the weather forecast tomorrow you have to forecast a Red Bull win (hopefully Webber).

It will be fascinating to see how the middle order works itself out in these conditions. We have seen a terrible performance shortfall from Ferrari and Toyota so far this weekend, and surprisingly quick times from Force India and McLaren.

One of the striking features of this season has been the variation of the cars' pecking order with variation in the track conditions. People thought the new regs would spread the field out more... they haven't, the field is still clustered together in terms of lap times, but the relative car performances have varied hugely with the track conditions, because the cars all have their own idiosyncratic features.

This could be a race to savour.

[wesley123]

I can obly agree with you Jonathan, but the Brawns seem pretty close to webber.

Dont even dare to count the mclarens out for the wins, they showed a good pace the whole weekend, it seems they fixed their problems. Also Sutil can be seen as a surprise, i dont know how light he was but he was faster then the ferraris, so if it goes right, he might even manage a podium.

[Paul]

interesting that hamilton appears to be on pace with the brawns quite easily, down to tyre heat issues or a general improvement?

Both. McLaren gave improved the package enough to be on par with Browns on cold track, in hot conditions Brawns should be better, but the gap should be much smaller than it was.

Heikki's lap was the most incredible, with old/rubbish floor almost as fast as Lewis's.

[hulmerist]

webber
vettel
hamilton
button
massa
raikkonen
sutil
barrichello

[WhiteBlue]

Good job by Webber. Sebastian made some mistakes in his last lap and it cost hi dear with the Brawns being so lite. He is only 2.5 tenth behind Webber but he may have been a bit heavier with less laps (two laps?) in Q3 than Webber.

The Brawn runs resonably on the option but struggles on the prime in cold weather. Much will depend of the weather. There are at least two showers predicted for tomorrow. Assuming it rains in the morning and stays dry in the afternoon - when it is a bit warmer - Seb could have a reasonable chance to catch up with Webber for the first stop. The McMercs are a danger at the start. They are liter and have KERS. But Seb of all front runners should have the latest fuel stop. So he must make those two laps really count if he gets them.

[ISLAMATRON]

Why say Vettle, will have the latest stop when he has the same amount of fuel, 56kg, as Webber? They are weighed after Q3 is finished, so yes they have the same amount of fuel onboard, regardless of laps made in Q3.

It might mean very little if it rains between the start and the first scheduled stop.

HAmilton wants it to stay dry, he can get SV off the start since he's on the clean side + KERS, and he can lap frog the Brawns at the first stop... a dry race could mean a 2nd place for him.

[Richard]

Brawn must be worried that Webber got ahead on so much more fuel. If Webber can hold his place for the first lap, then he'll cruise into the distance when Brawn stop 5 laps earlier. If Vettel can hold off Hamilton KERS, then Brawn are also in danger of him leapfrogging them.

I hope it is wet so we can sort men from boys. I just hope conditions don't change in laps 15-20 because it would penalise the early stoppers. I prefer to see the competition decided on skill, not luck.

Heikki's lap was the most incredible, with old/rubbish floor almost as fast as Lewis's.

I thought that interesting too. Looks like the improvement for McL is due to more than just Lewis's new floor/ddd?

Ferrari and Sutl look dangerous if rain favours their longer fuel loads....

[Roland Ehnström]

Look out for Hamilton in the start: KERS, lighter car than both Red Bulls, and he's starting on the clean side of the track... and it's a long drag-strip to T1 at Nürburgring!

[Roland Ehnström]

Heikki's lap was the most incredible, with old/rubbish floor almost as fast as Lewis's.

Well, Heikki was actually 1.2 seconds slower than Lewis in Q3. Lewis had 10 kg less fuel, but still. I think it's pretty clear that the updates to Lewis' McLaren are worth at least half a second (at this track), which is A LOT this season.

[SoftBatch]

Anyone have a feed lined up for the US guys to watch? PM me if you don't want to post it in the open forum. Please!! I hate broadcast delays.

[ringo]

Vettel will surly let Hamilton through. He did it before and i dont know if he can defend it without touching. The start will be chaotic, i just hope webber gets of nicely.
I want Lewis to get a first win for the season, but i rather see Webber finally get his first in his career.